


The Vigil

by Pippins_Mushr00ms



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 21:57:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15495531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pippins_Mushr00ms/pseuds/Pippins_Mushr00ms
Summary: Here, have a thing. My first try at Wash and Tucker. Basically, no real detail. Just the moments between Tucker gets stabbed by Felix and him waking up in the hospital.





	The Vigil

 

 

\-----------------  
Part One  
\-----------------  
"Keep talking, asshole," Tucker muttered.

 _"Stay cool,"_ warned Church.

"Well, the thing about that is… uh, ohh…" Felix trailed off and then chuckled. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? You know, i just realized i haven't seen your pals in a while. I wonder if they're _trying to get the jump on me!"_

"Ahh! He knows!" Simmons yelled.

In a flash, Felix spun and launched a sticky grenade below the ledge the Reds and Blues had been hiding atop. The way he moved, it was like second nature. The motherfucker didn't even look like he aimed.

An explosion rocked the area and the next thing Tucker knew, it was raining Reds (and one Blue). Shock washed over him and he was dimly aware of his feet moving towards them.

" _Oh, goddamn it! Tucker, **focus**!"_ Church's voice hummed in his mind. " _Tucker_!"

Right. Focus.

He willed his feet in Felix's direction. His back was still turned and he wouldn't get another chance. Felix twirled, there was a glint of gunmetal grey in the sun. Searing pain. His other hand came up to grab Tucker's chest plate.

"That's the  _last_ time you try to outsmart me, Captain Tucker," he sneered, shoving him back. The knife slid out and he gasped.

 _"Oh, shit, I got ya, Tucker, activating healing unit!"_ Church's voice buzzed again.

' _Fuck,'_ He thought, when an electiric shock hit his midsection.

The ground tipped sideways and aqua soldier hit it hard enough to clack his teeth together. There was a coppery taste in his mouth.

"You still don't get it, do you?"

Still gasping, Tucker looked up. Felix looked like he was winding up again, pacing back and forth. Tucker wanted to beat that smug look right off his stupid face.

' _Fucking asshole_ ,' Tucker thought, mentally noting the red recording dot on his HUD.

"The entire reason you sim troopers were allowed to live this long..." Felix chuckled. "It's because you're all _l_ _osers_!"

Tucker lurched to his knees, shoving a hand into the wound. Blood made his glove warm and adrenaline shot through his body. He couldn't catch his breath long enough to spit any insults at the mercenary.

"Control was confident that you'd do more damage to these people than they could ever do to themselves!"

The edges of Tucker's vision were beginning to get fuzzy.

" _Stay with it, bud_ ," Church's voice cautioned in the back of his head. " _I got your vitals monitered, just focus on staying conscious! Just let 'im talk himself into his little hole."_

' _That's what Donut said, bow chicka ow ow,'_ responded Tucker, heart not in it.

" _Fuckin' really, man?"_ Tucker could hear Church rolling his eyes.

_'You walked right into it, dude.'_

"I mean, a bunch of idiots in charge of an army? Oh, comes on! It was a recipe for disaster! Locus and I figured we'd let you rack up the casualty count, then kill you after a few weeks."

' _Are you sure you can't, like, lock this dumbfuck's armor or something?'_ Tucker asked Church. He could feel the A.I. shake his head. _'Fucking Jesus, this dude talks alot.'_

 _"He's disabled it or whatever. I can't get into it, man, we covered this in the war room,"_ Church reminded him.

"Oh, but then you did something _special_. You gave them _hope_. And with that came a new level of motivation… to fight harder… To die faster… all with the belief that their sacrifice might actually mean something. But you know what? It all means nothing! At the end of the day, if I'm stronger than you and if I'm faster that you…then I can _kill_ you. And that's better than anything money can buy."

"I dunno, man, I think I'd rather be rich than a fucking nut job." Tucker coughed out. "What do you think, Church?"

"Yeah, this guy's got no idea what he's talking about," Church replied, materializing in a little flash of light.

"What the… what the fuck is this?" Felix lowered his weapon in confusion.

"Oh! This is Church! He's the A.I. that helps me run my equipment."

"What equipment?"

"My helmet cam."

"Ohhh! Somebody just got _fuckin_ ' _busted_!" the little soldier taunted.

There was a massive explosion. The signal.

"Be right back!" Church announced smugly.

 _"Try not to fuckin' die on me or I'll kill you!"_  he added only to Tucker, who only snorted.

_'Yeah right.'_

Within moments, their every word began echoing over every radio, screen, and datapad. Behind his visor, realization slowly dawned on Felix's face at the familiar words.

"Oh, dude, are you _speechless_? Because that's a first!" Tucker laughed over their echoing conversation.

"You… you're dead!" Felix growled, raising his pistol again.

Laser sites trained on the angry mercenary. A blessedly familiar voice rang out.

"I wouldn't, if I were you."

 _'Sweet Caroline,'_  Tucker thought, absolutley dazed with relief.

"Ugh, those sticky grenades kick like a mule. I hear these new-fangled laser-blasters are quite lethal." It was Sarge!

Tucker looked up to see everyone on the highground, all had their sites set on Felix. If he'd had the strength, Tucker would have done a victory moon walk.

He jumped when the mercenary activated that fucking shield. He jumped even worse when Locus suddenly appeared at his partner's back, muttering about mission failure and protocol. Felix grumbled something back, but the pounding in Tucker's head didnt let him catch it all. His vision went black.

"Let me assure you all," Locus said louder, "This is _not_  over."

That was the last thing Tucker heard before he left the waking world.

\----------------------------------------------

The mood was an odd mix of somber and celebration in the Pelican. They'd taken off shortly after hauling their injured aboard. Most of the injured Fed and Rebel soldiers lay strapped to dayglo orange stretchers, groaning or silent. Various bits of discarded armor lay next to them, thrown aside so as to better treat the wounds.

The Reds (and Caboose) opted (basically demanded and/or threw a collective tantrum) to go with Tucker, much to Kimball's mild protests. They were harnessed loosely against the stern in seats, only half buckled in so they could stand at a moment's notice.

Tucker sat against the wall, his vision hazy. Someone had taken his helmet off and had set it down next to him. Dimly, he'd recalled the dizzying head rush of an AI settling back into his skull and Church's voice talking about the healing unit again. There were a lot of people talking to him at once.

Someone had shot his wound full of biofoam at some point whike Church'd been busy, but he had no way of knowing who. The only reason he knew it was even there was because Church cussed at it. Apparently, it fucked with his healing unit. Tucker couldn't be bothered to really listen. He was thinking about napping.

 _"Stay with me, Tucker, we're almost back to base. Dr. Grey will get you stitched up,"_ said Church.

 _'That's great, dude,'*_ Tucker thought at him wearily, a faint smile on his bloodied face.

Maybe he _would_ take himself a lil nap on the way. Fire radiated from his center when they hit turbulence. He swore softly.

 _"Nuuupe, no nap, Tucker, you have to stay conscious,"_ snapped Church. _"Don't make me come out there to get the Reds to babysit._ "

' _Oh, my god, get outta m'thoughts, lemme live my life,'_  the aqua soldier mentally grumbled, but he forced his tired eyes opened anyway.

Polamo was hovering around him, trying to hold his hand and declaring his loyalty, which was somehow more annoying than Church telling him he couldn't have a nap.

"Palomo, stop fucking crying, you baby," he muttered, snatching his hand back for the fourth time.

 _'Church, what happened to Wash?'_ He thought before his vision tunneled again.

Tucker's head dipped to his chest. Church was yelling. There was a flash of light against his closed eyelids. Instinctively, he knew it was the A.I. Dammit, Church really was going to get him a babysitter.

Before the darkness enveloped him, he heard shouting. There was a hard bump. Wash yelled something. Heard a flurry of movement.

Too late.

Nap time, bitches.

 _"Goddamn it, Tucker."_  was the last thing he thought he heard.

* * *

 

\-----------------  
Part Two  
\-----------------  
When Tucker came to, the first thing he noticed was how empty his head felt. Like it was hollow and stuffed full of cotton.

The next was how heavy his eyelids were. He tried, but they were considerably unresponsive.

He decided to let them be for the moment and focused on listening to his surroundings. He heard the quiet, almost familiar beeping of some sort of machine, but he couldn't quite place it. He was lying down on something soft, and he was… naked? No, not naked. He had some sort of flimsy garment on. Did he miss something fun?

With great effort, Tucker wrenched his eyes open. It took a moment for his sluggish brain to comprehend that he was in a dimly lit hospital room. The beeping was his pulse being monitored. The flimsy thing he was wearing was a hospital gown. Why would he be wearing a hosp--? Ohhh, right. He groaned at the sudden sharp throb coming from his belly and let his seemingly lead lined eyelids close again.

"Tucker?" Came a voice from his right.

"Hmm?" Was all he could manage.

"Hey, are you awake?"

Who's voice was that?

"Kinna, wussup?"

Tucker raised his left arm to rub his eyes, but stopped when something pinched him. There was a hand on his wrist, pushing his arm back down gently.

"You have an IV, you have to used the other arm."

"Ah. That essplains the pinchy thingy," he groaned.

"What?" Came a chuckle.

"What?"

Tucker forced his eyes open again and forced them to focus. Damn, whatever was in the IV must have been some good shit. His brain felt fuzzy and warm, but oddly empty.

Tucker turned his head and squinted at the figure at his bedside. The peppery blonde hair, scar across the face, bandage around his head. Biiig undereye bags.

"Heeeeey, Wash!" Tucker . "Wha's with the bandaid?"

"Locus knocked me out," he replied sheepishly, returning the grin.

"Basstard," the aqua soldier slurred out.

There was a few minutes of silence while Tucker tried to pull his head out of the fog. Memories started to slowly trickle back. Then panic. The beeping started to quicken. Tucker's lungs suddenly felt empty. Wash felt his own hearbeat spike in response.

"Oh, sonnuva bitch, did we do it?" demanded Tucker, struggling to sit up. Fire licked at his gut again, but he didn't care. He reached for the sword that wasn't at his hip and the moniter beeped wildly. His voice rose a few octaves. "Did we lose anyone?!"

Wash flew into action, pinning the other man back to the bed firmly by his shoulders.

"We exposed them, but they got away. The Reds and Blues are banged up, but all right," Wash explained gently. Then his voice became stern. "And if you try to get up again, so help me, I _will_  get Dr. Grey in here."

"Noooo, do _not_ do that yet" he groaned, stilling his movements.

Smiling to himself, Wash slowly let go of Tucker's shoulders. He nodded when the patient stayed down.

"Ssshit, wait, so how long was I out?" Tucker asked, settling back into the sweet embrace of morphine. "And can I get some jello? And some pants, please?"

"Maybe 12 hours or so. You're only a little behind, pal," laughed Wash. "I'll see what I can do about pants."

"And jello. Don' forget jello," Tucker said seriously, furrowing his brow in apparent concentration. "Green."

The heart moniter began to slow down gradually, Wash noted. He breathed a soft sigh of relief. It may as well have been three days. Those twelve or so hours felt like a century each and at the same time, a blink of an eye.

Tucker'd never regained conciousness since he'd passed out on the Pelican. Cue Wash never leaving his side after a quick runway debriefing upon exiting the aircraft.

"Fuck yeah, green jello," Tucker drawled again, slinging his other arm across his eyes. "I think I gotta go back ta sleep. M'eyes're so heavy."

"Don't hold up on my account," Wash replied, smiling at his loopy friend. "I'll tell the the others to come by later if you're up to it."

"Mmhm, sounds good," the aqua soldier mumbled.

* * *

 

Notes: here, have a thing. My first try at Wash and Tucker. Basically, no real detail. Just the moments between Tucker gets stabbed by Felix and him waking up in the hospital.

Raise your hand if you're still recovering from the s16 finale. XD


End file.
